Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-01-08
THE ANGLsR'S PARADISE.
An English Travellers Experience in the
Sierra Nevada.
ICorr. London Field.)


So many Englishmen travel about the
world now, that the following short &C.
count of two months fishing tour to Cali
fornia may be of some use. Several men
have asked me about the best flies for those
parts. They are as follows, the best being
first Blue dun, March brown, coch-y-
bondu, willow-hy, governor, red spinner.
alder-all on No. hooks.
In the autumn of 1885 / left Buenos
Ayres in search of some trout fishing in
California. After most enjoyable voyage
of about two months, by way OF the Straits
of Magellan and the Pacific, | arrived in
San Francisco on the 25th of May. / re-
ceived very full information respecting
trout fishing from the pleasant host of the
Occidental Hotel there. The most de-
lightful fishing station l went to was Web
Der Lake, Sierra county. One gets there
by way of Truckee, railway station on
the Central Pacific line, not far from
diligence takes one right up to Webber
Lake, in, l think, three hours. The
climate in the spring in these parts is
most delightful, being highly situated close
to the summit Of the Sierras; the atmos-
phere is very clear and dry, and it has q
most rejuvenatiug effect. [ have been in
many parts of the world, but l have no.
where come across a climate so utterly de-
lightful. There is a first-rate hotel at Web
Der Lake, very moderate in charges The
lake is almost entirely surrounded by
mountains, heavily timbered with pines.
The SUBMITS of some of The mountains
still had snow on them. There is a large
extent of bright green grass on the verge of
the lake which has an exquisite effect.
The lake is very full of trout; they had
been planted there many years ago, and
are Silver Lake trout, with pink flesh, good
eating, and very game. | caught none over
II pounds, but most of the fish | got were
slightly over or slightly under one pound.
The best flies found were blue dun, March
brown, and coch-y-bondu. The fish used
to commence rising at daybreak and stop
Immediately the sun rose, and, unless there
was wind or rain, did not rise much till the
evening. | used to basket ten or twelve
pounds before sunrise every morning.
An amusing episode took place here
One day | took long walk in the noun
tains and lost my way. Fortunately met
boy, who walked some distance back with
me, and put me on a path; he was a very
small cowboy, and owned to being years
old. One has read with great amusement
Bret Harte's bear and snake stories, but l
thought l should like TO hear some original
ones from this youth. &c. to commence, |
asked him if there were any bears or rattle
snakes in those parts. Bears or rattle
snakes !" he answered in tone impossible
to describe, and with his countenance
ligbtened up with intense satisfaction, but
withal remarkably solemn; and then he
commenced, and told me the most exquisite
stories / ever heard, all of them having
either happened to his father or big brother
The small boy never smiled once.
Another fishing station l went to is on
the Yuba river at the railway station of
Cisco, two or three stations from Truckee
There used to be large mining town there,
but all the inhabitants have left, and now
only one house is inhabited, an hotel aud
store, kept by very hospitable Scotchman.
A great quantity of trout is found in the
Yuba about here, which runs about quar-
ter of mile from the hotel in one day
caught four different sort Far the best for
eating is what is there called the Eastern
trout, it having originally been brought
from the Eastern States. Ii is the common
brook trout of Canada and u S. America.
Here, also, found The blue dun and coch-
y-bondu the best flies, dressed rather large
on No. hooks. From here l went half
days journey 10 the North Fork of the
Yuba, near Fordyce Dam, and l was CRATE
full for the hospitality of a miner, in whose
lighthouse / had q comfortable nights rest
The trout there are silver and pink tieshed,
the same as at Weber lake, and often jump
right out of the water after the fly. ] have
caught seventy good fish with little trouble
in few hours. The country here is very
auriferous, but is not much worked.
From Cisco | also went about five hours
journey to the North Fork OF the Ameri-
can river. One passes on the road there
some of the grandest scenery imaginable,
The gorges are thousands of feet deep and
very PERCEPTIONS. but nevertheless are heav-
lily tmbereG with pine and oak. We passed
through lovely grove of sprace. l should
say that took guide with me; think
he had formerly been q trapper-a very
pleasant travelling companion, quite one o.
Bret Hartes characters We lodged in a
deserted miners hut There is only one
golddigger about there now. Helives quite
alone. and works steadily for aIluyial gold
in an old bed of the nver. He honored
me by dining with me one evening, and
many curious experiences he reconnted.
Here the river was just crowded with trout,
for it is very uncomfortable and very sell
dom fished. They are all native Califor-
MAN trout, and not SO good eating as the
other sorts | had caught. caught here 160
in . day; they weighed close on to 50
pounds There were oniy about ten over
pound and under Il pounds. / caught
them nearly all on the governor and coch-
y-bondu. l noticed that most of the fish
had remarkably large stomachs, and l
found that it was caused by their eating the
caddis worms with their cases of gravel
same SIS the English caddis worm. ! had
rot known trout to do this before. Many
other places i iished in California. but have
no space to put them all down. | have
Just noticed the best of them. / might say
here that all fish that l caught were eaten,
and the recipients were very thankful for
them-either miner or hotel-keepeTs. In
thirty-six days fishing l caught ,152 trout,
an average of tkirty-two per day; most
days | only fshed for few hours. The
miners and native CsIiforaians that came
across have much good breeding and de-
iighifui fresh originality about them, and
they also strike one as having peculiar
sort of honesty, very rare in the Old World.
Wy